News: today’s Google Doodle celebrates what would have been the 382nd birthday of British architect Christopher Wren with an animation showing the rise of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Wren, who was born on this day in 1632, is best known for masterminding the reconstruction of 52 churches following the Great Fire of London in 1666, including the iconic dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, completed in 1710.
The architect was also responsible for designing the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and the library at Trinity College, Cambridge, that is now named after him. He was knighted in 1673, and in 1702 completed the south facade of Hampton Court Palace.
The Google animation, which replaces the search engine’s logo in the UK and USA, begins with a series of traditional draughtsman’s tools. Once users hit the play button, the scene changes to the London cathedral rising up from the ruins created in the aftermath of the fire.
Once the structure is completed, the image changes again to show what appears to be a drawing of the cathedral in elevation, signed in one corner by Wren.
The animation is the latest in a series of Google Doodles that pay tribute to famous architects. In 2013, Google Japan honoured the 100th birthday of Kenzo Tange, while in 2012 the company marked the 126th birthday of Mies van der Rohe.
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